Naomi Cooper
RTX‘s Collins Aerospace subsidiary and partners ILC Dover and Oceaneering have completed the crew capability assessment test on next-generation spacesuits developed for NASA astronauts on the International Space Station.
During the test, the spacesuits went through a series of demonstrations in a manufactured zero-gravity environment onboard an aircraft, RTX said Wednesday.
A team of former NASA astronauts evaluated the spacesuits’ pressure garment system fit, functionality and performance.
The test also assessed the use of ISS tools and interfaces and reviewed the Extravehicular Mobility Unit’s performance against the current design.
“The test allowed us to examine specific objectives of the design that can support a broad range of crewmember sizes and crew tasks in a controlled environment,” said Peggy Guirgis, general manager of space systems at Collins Aerospace.
The spacesuit is set to undergo additional evaluations, including a thermal vacuum test and an underwater test, at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab in Texas.
Collins Aerospace built the spacesuits under a potential 12-year, $3.5 billion contract awarded in 2022 to enable NASA astronauts to conduct spacewalks outside the ISS and carry out lunar exploration missions.
